The History of the Rolex GMT-Master

The very first Rolex GMT Master came to the market in 1954 when Rolex produced the reference 6542. It was part of the very quickly adapting market of sports watches and proved to be a pivotal part of Rolex’s high standard sports watches for the future.

The watch proved extremely popular within industries where measuring 2 different time zones was beneficial to them, i.e. workers who commute abroad, but in particular it proved incredibly popular amongst pilots who were heavily reliant on monitoring two different time zones. This eventually led to the American airline Pan America asking Rolex for a collaboration in making them a particular model of watch, which then proceeded to quickly develop the Rolex GMT Master.

Interestingly, the Rolex GMT Master developed the nickname ‘Pepsi’ amongst collectors due to the watch resembling and containing half red and half blue, which was reminiscent of the well know drinks brand. The blue represents the night-time hours, and the red half represents the daytime hours.

1959 brought upon the development of Rolex releasing the second series of the GMT Master, one that would remain in place until the Rolex GMT Master II was released in 1985.

During this time, the Rolex GMT Master featured on the wrists of Honor Blackman who played Pussy Galore, in Goldfinger 1959. Rolex was quite quickly developing a fast relationship with the top names in the film world at the time, in particular, James Bond.

The Rolex GMT developed quickly over years, changing and developing from the unique ‘Pepsi’ colours in 1985, the watches soon became part of a collection that led to the quick development of the Rolex GMT Master II.

The Rolex GMT master II allowed for the watch user to keep track of 3 different times zones efficiently and accurately. Ideal for pilots who were covering transatlantic flights daily.

Currently Rolex Specifically manufactures the GMT Master II, keeping the watch distinctly close to the sports design of its previous counterpart the GMT Master.

The current watches are patented Cerachrom bezel. This is a specific material which provides the bezel with a robustness that allows the watch to be completely scratch proof – however this does come with an extremely costly price. Those who wish to choose a watch with an aluminium bezel can expect to pay a much more reasonable price for the watch itself.

Much like other models in Rolex’s repertoire the GMT Master and GMT Master II are enriched in luxurious history and still live to tell a rather modern tale today.

The watches maintain their classic luxury with new and incredibly well-made timepieces, as well as incorporating new technology to keep up to date with the ever-changing face of the watch world.

Here at Wilkinson’s watches, we are looking to buy used 2023 Rolex watches from our valued customers. If you own a 2023 Rolex and are looking to receive an incredibly well valued price, please contact the team here at Wilkinson’s Watches today.